Glastonbury High School

Glastonbury, CT
2009-2010 Research Paper Guidelines
APA Style/Science Writing
Table of Contents

Section 1 Researching in the Sciences .......................................................... Page 1

Section 2 Format for a Scientific Research Paper...................................... Page 1-2

Section 3 Literature Review and Topic Selection ....................................... Page 2

Section 4 Organizing the Paper and Rubric................................................ Page 3-5

Section 5 In-Text Citations............................................................................ Page 6

Section 6 Quoting, Paraphrasing and Summarizing ................................... Page 7

Section 7 Examples of Quoting, Paraphrasing and Summarizing ............. Page 8

Section 8 Reference List Information and Sample Reference List............. Page 9-10

Section 9 Typing the Paper ............................................................................ Page 11

Section 10 Creating the Header ....................................................................... Page 11

Appendix A Sample In-Text Citations and Reference List APA Style .......... Page 12-19

Appendix B Avoiding Plagiarism ...................................................................... Page 20-22

Appendix C Sample Paper ................................................................................ Page 23-34

The majority of this guide is drawn from the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association,
5th ed.
Material on quoting, paraphrasing and summarizing from Springfield Township, PA High School Library Web Page:
http://mciu.org/~spjvweb.
Examples of quoting, paraphrasing and summarizing from National University’s Writing Center at:
k55.nu.edu/resources/NU/collateral/ uploadedFiles/quotParaphSum.pdf.
Material on plagiarism from Purdue University http://mciu.org/~spjvweb/Online Writing Lab at:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu.
Material on in-text citations and the sample paper taken from Diana Hacker’s Research and
Documentation in the Electronic Age, 3rd ed. and at http://www.dianahacker.com/resdoc.
Material on scientific paper format from How to Write a Paper in Scientific Journal Style and Format from Department
of Biology at Bates Collete at: http://abacus.bates.edu/~ganderso/biology/resources/writing/HTWtoc.html

Research Paper Guidelines revised 3/10

 GLASTONBURY HIGH SCHOOL

2009-2010 APA RESEARCH PAPER GUIDELINES

1. Researching in the Sciences

Research in the sciences generally involves recognizing a scientific problem to be solved, setting up
an experiment designed to yield useful data, and interpreting the data in the context of other
scientific knowledge. Researchers use library resources to
• Keep up with current thinking in the field so they can recognize a question worth asking
• Review what is known about a given phenomenon so they can place new knowledge in
context
• Locate specific information they need to successfully carry out an experiment or project

The large volume of scientific literature being produced can be daunting at first. However, many
online databases and resources are available to help you find what is relevant to your research.
When planning to search for scientific materials, be prepared to
• Choose your search terms carefully so that they match those used by your index or database
• Work from the most recent publications to earlier ones, sorting out schools of thought and
lines of inquiry as you go
• Know when to stop, bearing in mind that a literature review can’t cover everything ever
published on a topic but is a selection of the most important and relevant research

2. Format for a Scientific Research Paper

The scientific format may seem confusing for the beginning science writer due to its rigid structure
which is so different from writing in the humanities. Scientific format is a means of efficiently
communicating scientific findings to the broad community of scientists in a uniform manner. Also,
this format allows the paper to be read at several different levels. For example, many people skim
titles to find out what information is available on a subject. Others may read only titles and
abstracts. Those wanting to go deeper may look at the tables and figures in the results and so on.
Scientific format helps to insure that at whatever level a person reads your paper they will likely get
the key results and conclusions.

The Sections of the Paper

Abstract – What did you do in a nutshell?
The Abstract is a summary of the study, with the primary emphasis on results and conclusions.
Present the question, the experimental design, a summary of observations and list conclusions. Be
brief – the abstract should be a single paragraph no more than one page. The abstract is written in
past tense.

Introduction – What is the problem?

Briefly indicate the purpose of the experiments performed as well as present appropriate
background. Make sure the reader knows enough to appreciate the relevance of the work and why it
is appropriate to ask the question you address with your study. Always state the hypothesis and/or
objectives in your introduction.

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Methods – How did you solve the problem?
You must document all methods performed in your study. You need to summarize in your own
words any methods from written sources you used. Passive voice is standard for most scientific
papers. Write “Cells were grown at 37oC.” instead of “We grew cells at 37oC.” Present methods
under headings such as “Sources of Materials,” Analytical Procedures,” “Statistical Methods,” etc.

Results – What did you find out?

Raw data include all observations or data that you get from your experiment. Analyze your data,
then present them in the form of figures (graphs), tables, and/or descriptions of observations. Data
in this form is called converted data. Figures are preferable to tables and tables are preferable to
straight text. Describe the relationship of each section of converted data to the overall study.
Converted data go into the body of the report, after the methods and before the discussion. Place
raw data at the back of the report as an appendix. Do not draw conclusions in the results section.

Discussion – What does it mean?

Interpret your data in the discussion. Decide if each hypothesis is supported, rejected, or if you
cannot make a decision with confidence. Do not simply dismiss a study or part of a study as
inconclusive. Make what conclusions you can, then suggest how the experiment must be modified
in order to properly test the hypothesis. Critique the experiment. Did it have good design? Was it
properly controlled? Also, discuss what questions remain and areas of future study.

References/Literature Cited – Whose work did I refer to?

In-text citations in the body of your paper and a complete list of references at the end tell your
readers the source of information that is not your work. Refer to examples on pages 16-23 of this
guide and the sample paper in Appendix B for proper format.

Acknowledgements – Who helped me out?

An optional section in your paper, this section is where you choose to thank a mentor, a librarian, or
anyone else who helped you through the process.

Appendixes – Extra information.

An Appendix contains information that is non-essential to understanding of the paper, but may
present information that further clarifies a point without burdening the body of the presentation. An
appendix is an optional part of the paper, and is only rarely found in published papers. Each
Appendix should be identified by a Roman numeral in sequence, e.g. Appendix I, Appendix II.
Each Appendix should contain different material. All appendixes go at the end of the paper between
the body of the text and the Reference List page. Each appendix should contain the source of the
data cited, using the same format as the Reference List page.

3. Literature Review and Topic Selection

Do an in-depth, balanced review of the primary research literature relevant to your study prior to
designing and carrying out the experiments. This review will help you learn what is known about the
topic you are investigating and may let you avoid unnecessarily repeating work done by others. This
literature will form the basis of your Introduction and Discussion. When you organize and evaluate
previously published material on a subject, you are able to understand the current state of research,
find relationships and contradictions in the literature and use existing research to advance your
theory or answer your question.

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4. Organizing the Paper and Rubric

• Write the Introduction.

o After you have completed a review of the literature around your topic you can refine
your hypothesis and write the introduction.
• Design and Conduct Experiment - Write the Materials and Methods section.
o Design and conduct the experiment keeping careful notes on procedures used. Upon
completion of the experiment, write the methods section using your notes.
o In this section you explain clearly how you carried out your study in the following
general structure and organization.
o The the organism(s) studied (plant, animal, human, etc.) and their pre-experiment
handling and care, and when and where the study was carried out (only if location and
time are important factors);
o If a field study, a description of the study site, including the significant physical and
biological features, and precise location (latitude and longitude, map, etc);
o The experimental OR sampling design (i.e., how the experiment or study was
structured. For example, controls, treatments, the variable(s) measured, how many
samples were collected, replication, etc.);
o The protocol for collecting data, i.e., how the experimental procedures were carried
out, and,
o How the data were analyzed (qualitiative analyses and/or statistical procedures
used).
• Analyze and Interpret the Results.
o Once the data are collected, you must analyze and interpret the results. Analysis will
include data summaries (e.g., calculating means and variances) and statistical tests to
verify conclusions. Most scientists lay out their Tables and Figures upon completion
of the data analysis before writing the Results section. Write the Table and Figure
legends. It is good practice to note the one or two key results that each Table or
Figure conveys and use this information as a basis for writing the Results section.
Sequence and number the Tables and Figures in the order which best enables the
reader to reach your conclusions.
• Write the Results Section.
o Remember that the Results section has both text and illustrative materials (Tables and
Figures). Use the text component to guide the reader through your key results, i.e.,
those results which answer the question(s) you investigated. Each Table and Figure
must be referenced in the text portion of the results, and you must tell the reader what
the key result(s) is that each Table or Figure conveys.
• Write the Discussion.
o Interpretation of your results includes discussing how your results modify and fit in
with what we previously understood about the problem. Review the literature again at
this time. After completing the experiments you will have much greater insight into
the subject, and by going through some of the literature again, information that
seemed trivial before, or was overlooked, may tie something together and therefore
prove very important to your own interpretation. Be sure to cite the works that you
refer to.
• Write the Abstract and Title.
o The Abstract is always the last section written because it is a concise summary of the
entire paper and should include a clear statement of your aims, a brief description of
the methods, the key findings, and your interpretation of the key results. The Title
will probably be written earlier, but is often modified once the final form of the paper
clearly known.
3
 Guidelines and Scoring Rubric for your Scientific Paper

Section Guidelines Exemplary Good Satisfactory Poor Incomplete

Title Informative and Concise

Contains purpose of experiment
Hypothesis(es) is/are clearly stated
Contains brief description of methods
Contains brief summary of results
Abstract Conclusion(s) are included and appropriate
Length is less than 250 words
Written in past tense
Typed single spaced with 12 point italicized
font
Contains enough background information for
reader to appreciate relevance of the work.
Objectives or purpose clearly stated
Introduction Hypothesis is clearly stated
Logical rationale for hypothesis is provided
Predictions are clearly stated
Appropriate use of citations and paraphrasing
Contains all information necessary to enable
reader to repeat experiment
Present methods under subheadings such as
Materials and
“Sources of Materials,” “Analytical
Methods
Procedures,” “Statistical Methods,” etc.
Written in paragraph form (not numbered list)
Written in past tense with passive voice
All raw data are included in an appendix or
appendices
All results, including trends in figures, are
summarized in the text
Appropriate use of figures (graphs), tables
and/or descriptions (straight text) of
observations
Reference is made in text to each table and
figure, in sequential order
Figures and tables have descriptive,
Results
informative titles
Captions are placed below figures and above
titles
Axes are properly labeled and units provided
Data are correctly plotted on figures
Figures are easily readable (font size, darkness
of lines, symbols)
No explanation/interpretation is given for the
results
No new methods are provided.

4
 Section Guidelines Exemplary Good Satisfactory Poor Incomplete

Interprets and explains data/results

Hypothesis is supported, rejected or stated
that a conclusion cannot be made with
confidence
Discussion No new results are provided
Critiques the experiment by noting flaws in
design and/or inconsistencies in data
Discusses questions that remain and direction
for future studies
Proper use of parenthetical, in-text citations
Literature Cited
Reference list is properly formatted in APA
Reference List
style
Public acknowledgement of all
Acknowledgements individuals/organizations who assisted
in any way to help produce the paper
Contain information that clarifies certain
points (but is non-essential) in text
Appendices
Placement is correct
Each Appendix is titled appropriately
Paper is typed double spaced in 12 point font
with one inch margins
Consistent use of passive voice
Writing Style Paragraphs and sentences are well
And constructed and fluent
Mechanics Correct spelling, punctuation and
capitalization
Appropriate word usage (no vernacular,
accurate, contraction free)

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5. Parenthetical In-Text Citations

As you write your paper, you must let your readers know where you got the ideas and information
you are using. This information gives credit to the source and enables the reader to verify such things
as statistics and find additional material on the subject. Insert a short parenthetical in-text
citation wherever you use each statement of fact, each quotation and every conclusion or
judgment drawn from another writer. General information that can be found in many places is
not credited.
The in-text citation should be as simple as possible, containing only as much information as
necessary to direct the reader to the correct entry in the Reference List at the end of the paper and to
tell the reader where in the cited work the information was found.
APA in-text citations name the author of the source (often in a signal phrase), give the date of
publication, and at times include a page number in parentheses for a quotation. At the end of the
paper, a list of references provides publication information about the source. There is a direct
connection between the in-text citation and the alphabetical listing in the Reference List.
Rumbaugh (1995) reported that "Kanzi's comprehension of over 600 novel sentences of
request was very comparable to Alia's; both complied with requests without assistance on
approximately 70% of the sentences" (p. 722).
Readers can look up the author's last name in the alphabetized list of references, where they will
learn the work's title and other publication information. When readers decide to consult the source,
the page number will take them straight to the passage that has been cited.

NOTE: If your cited material runs to more than one page, give the range of pages (such as 235-36 or
399-400).

Reminder

The guiding rule for in-text citations is to KEEP IT SIMPLE! The reference need only be specific
enough to lead the reader to the correct entry in the Reference List. For other sample in-text
citations, see Appendix A and the sample paper in Appendix C.

6
6. Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing

You can borrow from the works of other writers as you research. Good writers use three strategies—
summarizing, paraphrasing and quoting—to blend source materials in with their own, while making
sure their own voice is heard.

Quotations are the exact words of an author, copied directly from the source word for word.
Quotations must be cited!
Use quotations when:

• You want to add the power of an author’s words to support your argument
• You want to disagree with an author’s argument
• You want to highlight particularly eloquent or powerful phrases or passages
• You are comparing and contrasting specific points of view
• You want to note the important research that precedes your own

Paraphrasing means rephrasing the words of an author, putting his/her thoughts in your own
words. A paraphrase can be viewed as a “translation” of the original source. When you
paraphrase, you rework the source’s ideas, words, phrases, and sentence structures with your
own. Paraphrased text is often, but not always, slightly shorter than the original work. Like
quotations, paraphrased material must be followed with in-text documentation and cited the
on the Reference List page.

Paraphrase when:

• You plan to use information on your note cards and wish to avoid plagiarizing
• You want to avoid overusing quotations
• You want to use your own voice to present information

Summarizing involves putting the main idea(s) of one or several writers into your own words,
including only the main point(s). Once again, it is necessary to attribute summarized ideas to
the original source. Summarized ideas are not necessarily presented in the same order as in
the original source. Summaries are significantly shorter than the original and take a broad
overview of the source material.

Summarize when:

You want to establish background or offer an overview of a topic

You want to describe common knowledge (from several sources) about a topic
You want to determine the main ideas of a single source

Material on Quoting, Paraphrasing and Summarizing from Springfield Township, PA High School Library Web Page:
http://mciu.org/~spjvweb/, Joyce Valenza, Library Media Specialist and Carol Rohrbach.

7
7. Examples of Quoting, Paraphrasing and Summarizing

Referring to the works of other authors in your work lends credence to your writing. It shows that
you’ve read pertinent material, it shows that others share your views, and it places your writing in a
greater context. However, you must clearly differentiate your ideas and words from those of other
authors. When you use someone else’s words, you quote, when you use someone else’s ideas, you
paraphrase or summarize. Below are examples of each.

Original:
I’m convinced that fear is at the root of most bad writing. If one is writing for one’s own pleasure,
that fear may be mild – timidity is the word I’ve used here. If, however, one is working under a
deadline – a school paper, a newspaper article, the SAT writing sample – that fear may be intense.
Dumbo got airborne with the help of a magic feather; you may feel the urge to grasp a passive verb
or one of those nasty adverbs for the same reason. Just remember before you do that Dumbo didn’t
need the feather; the magic was in him.
You probably do know what you are talking about, and can safely energize your prose with
active verbs.
Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, 127-128.

Quoting: When you quote someone, you use the author’s exact words.
In his book On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, Stephen King offers his personal views on
writing: “I’m convinced that fear is at the root of most bad writing.”
Paraphrasing: When you paraphrase someone, you use your words to convey another author’s
ideas. The words and the sentence structure must all be yours.
Acceptable:
Stephen King blames fear for the overuse of adverbs and passive verbs, hallmarks of bad
writing, and he encourages fledgling writers not to resort to using such devices as a crutch.
Unacceptable:
Stephen King is convinced that fear is at the root of bad writing and encourages writers to
energize prose with active verbs.
The words in bold in the above unacceptable example are exactly as King wrote them. They have
not been changed therefore they are plagiarized. Simply eliminating one or two words is not
paraphrasing.
Summarizing: To summarize is to condense ideas into fewer words and with fewer details. A
paragraph, page, or even a chapter, might be summarized in a single sentence. Be sure your
summary accurately conveys the author’s message.
Accurate:
For Stephen King, fear yields bad writing.
Inaccurate:
Stephen King says students should be afraid of writing the SAT writing sample.
King acknowledges that students often are afraid of writing the SAT essay. He does not claim that
they should be. The point he is trying to make in this passage is about fear and poor writing. The
SAT is mentioned only as an example of what types of writing tasks make writers afraid.
Examples of quoting, paraphrasing and summarizing from National University’s Writing Center at:
k55.nu.edu/resources/NU/collateral/ uploadedFiles/quotParaphSum.pdf.

8
8. Reference List
The Reference List section of your paper should list all the works that you will cite in your text.
This is where the reader finds the complete documentation for all the in-text citations. It simplifies
documentation because it permits one to make only brief references to these works in the text. A
parenthetical in-text citation such as (Terrace et al., 1979) enables readers to identify the source in
the Reference List.
In academic research papers and in any other writing that borrows information from sources, the
borrowed information – quotations, summaries, paraphrases, and any facts or ideas that are not
common knowledge – must be clearly documented.
The style described in detail in this guide is that of the APA system for documenting sources, which
is set forth in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th ed. APA
recommends parenthetical or in-text citations that refer readers to a list of references. It is
sometimes called the author-date system and is the accepted format for scientific writing.

APA in-text citations name the author of the source, often in a signal phrase, and give the date of
publication, and at times include a page number in parentheses for quotations. At the end of the
paper, a list of references provides publication information about the source. The list is alphabetized
by authors' last names (or by titles for works without authors). There is a direct connection between
the in-text citation and the alphabetical listing.

The guide from which the APA style is drawn is available in its entirety in the GHS Library. You
may also visit the following web site for the American Psychological Association: www.apa.org.
Start the Reference List on a new page. Type the heading “References” centered and one inch from
the top of the page. Double-space between the heading and the first entry. Begin the entry flush
with the left margin. If an entry runs more than one line, indent the subsequent lines 1/2" from the
left margin. Double-space the entire entry for APA style. Double-space between entries.
Alphabetize entries in the reference list by the author’s last name, using the letter-by-letter system.
In this system, the alphabetical order of names is determined by the letters before the commas that
separate last names and first names. Spaces and other punctuation marks are ignored. The letters
after the commas are considered only when two or more last names are identical. The following
examples are alphabetized letter by letter.
Descartes, R.
De Sica, V.
MacDonald, G.
McCullers, C.
Morris, R.
Morrison, T.
Saint-Exupery, A.
St. Denis, R.

If the author’s name is unknown, alphabetize by the title, ignoring any initial A, An or The. For
example, The Cuban Missile Crisis would be alphabetized under c rather than t.

If your list includes two or more works by the same author, arrange the entries by date, the earliest
first. If your list includes two or more works by the same author in the same year, arrange them
alphabetically by title. Add the lowercase letters “a,” “b,” and so on within the parentheses
immediately following the year: (2001a, July 7).

9
 APA Style
SAMPLE REFERENCE LIST

Brady, J.T. & Brady, P. L. (2003, November). Consumers and genetically

modified foods. Journal of Family and Consumer Sciences, 95(4), 2-18. Retrieved

from Academic OneFile in iCONN http://www.iconn.org

Canadian Food Inspection Agency. (2004, April 28). What are genetically modified

foods? Retrieved from http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/sci/biotech/safsal/gmoogme.shtml

Freckleton, R. P., Sutherland, W.J., & Watkinson, A. R. (2003, November 7). Deciding

the future of GM crops in Europe. Science, 302(5647), 994-996. Retrieved from JSTOR

http://jstor.org/logon

Health Canada. (2002, February). The safety of genetically modified food crops.

Retrieved from http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/english/protection/biologics_genetics/

gen_mod_foods/genmodebk.html

Nottingham, S. (2003, February 13). Eat your genes: How genetically modified food is entering our

diet. CQ Researcher 19 (2), 129-152. Retrieved from CQ Researcher Online

http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher

Serrano, M.A., Flammini, A., & Menczer, F. (2009, April 29). Would you eat this food? PLoS ONE,

4. Retrieved from http://www.plosone.org/article/ info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.

SCOPE Forum (2004-2005). Genetically modified food: Controversies surrounding the

risks and benefits of genetically modified food. Retrieved from The SCOPE Research Group

(UC Berkley): http://scope.educ.washington.edu/gmfood/

Update: Genetically Modified Food. (December 31, 2008.) Issues and Controversies OnFile.

Retrieved from Issues and Controversies http://www.fofweb.com/subscription

Zheng, M. Y. (2004). Genetically modified (GM) foods. In B. D. Ness (Ed.)

Encyclopedia of genetics (Vol.1, pp.366-370). Pasadena, Calif.: Salem Press.

10
9. Typing the Paper

• Use 8 ½ X 11 white paper.

• Preferred typefaces are 12-pt Times New Roman or 12-pt Courier.
• Single-space between all lines of the text. Double-space after every line in the title,
headings, footnotes, quotations, references, figure captions and all parts of tables.
• Leave margins of 1 inch at top and bottom and on sides.
• Title Page – include full title, your name, class name, instructor’s name and date (all
centered). See sample paper in Appendix C.
• Page Numbers and Running Header - In the upper right-hand corner of each page, type a
short version of your title, followed by five spaces and the page number. Number all
pages, including the title page. (See directions below for constructing header.)
• Begin the abstract on a new page.
o Type label Abstract, centered, at top of page.
o Type abstract itself in a single block paragraph, in italics with no indentation.
• Begin the text on a new page
o Text sections follow each other without a break. For example, when you type the
heading Methods, do not start a new page.
• References – start reference list on a new page.
o Type the word References at the top of the page, centered.
o Use the hanging indent feature in Word to start first line of each entry flush left and
indent all remaining lines for each entry.
o Double space each entry and double space between entries.

10. Creating the Header

Creating the header with page numbers for your paper using Microsoft Word 2003
1. Choose View>Header and Footer
2. Press tab twice to move your cursor to the right of the header
3. Type a short version of your title and five spaces
4. Click Insert Page Number from Header and Footer toolbar on screen
5. Highlight the page number in your header
6. Click the Page Number Format button on the Header and Footer toolbar
7. Click in Number Format list box and choose a Page Numbering Style

Creating the header with page numbers for your paper using Microsoft Word 2007
1. On the Insert tab on the ribbon, in the Header and Footer group, click Page Number
2. Click Top of Page
3. Choose Plain Number 3
4. Choose Page Number from top ribbon
5. Click Format Page Numbers
6. Choose Number Format 1,2,3 and click OK
7. In header type a shortened version of your title and five spaces

Make a copy of your paper. When typing your paper on the computer, remember to save your paper frequently as you type.
Make sure you have saved your paper to the C drive of your home computer. Make sure you have saved your paper to your
personal profile/documents folder on a school computer. Floppy disks, CDs and flash drives are not permanent places to save
a paper. They damage easily and you will lose your work.

Do not email your paper to school. You will be unable to open the attachment. If you do email your paper to school and are
able to open it be sure to save it to your documents folder on the school computer before making any changes!!! If you work
in your email all changes will be lost when you log off. Move documents between school and home using a USB/flash drive.

11
 Appendix A
Sample Parenthetical In-Text Citations and Reference List – APA Style

PRINT SOURCES
Books

Sample Parenthetical In-Text Citation Corresponding Entry in Reference List

BOOK WITH SINGLE AUTHOR OR BOOK WITH SINGLE AUTHOR OR EDITOR (Generic Format)
EDITOR (General Statement) Author Last Name, First Initial. Middle Initial. (Year Published). Book title. Publication
APA uses an author-date system to identify
the source and how current it is. City, State: Publisher.

Example
Richard Vasta (1992) theorizes that there is Book with Single Author or Editor (Example)
a direct connection… Vasta, R. (1992). Six theories of child development. London: Kingsley Publishers.
OR
There is a correlation between class Capitalize only the first word of a book title and of the subtitle if any, and any proper
participation and earned grade (Vasta, nouns. Italicize the title.
1992).

Direct quotations require a page number.

BOOK WITH TWO AUTHORS

Cite BOTH authors every time in text. BOOK WITH TWO, THREE, FOUR, OR FIVE AUTHORS (Generic Format)
Author Last Name, First Initial. Middle Initial., Author Last Name, First Initial. Middle
BOOK WITH THREE, FOUR, OR FIVE
AUTHORS Initial., Author Last Name, First Initial. Middle Initial., Author Last Name, First

Example – First Citation Initial. Middle Initial., & Author Last Name, First Initial. Middle Initial. (Year
Wassertein, Zappulla, Rosen, Gerstman and
Rock (1994) found that mood affects… Published). Book title. Publication City, State: Publisher.
OR
Studies find that mood affects music Book with two, three, four or five authors (Example)
preference (Wassertein, Zappulla, Rosen, Wasserstein, R., Zappulla J., Rosen E., Gerstman B., & Rock , S. (1994) Social learning
Gerstman and Rock, 1994).
theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Example – Subsequent Citations
Wassertein et al. (1994) found that mood
affects…

BOOK WITH SIX OR MORE BOOK WITH SIX OR MORE AUTHORS (Generic Format)
AUTHORS Author Last Name, First Initial. Middle Initial., et al. (Year Published). Book title.

When the work you are referencing has six Publication City, State: Publisher.
or more authors, you only have to cite the
last name of the first author and include et Book with six or more authors - Example
al. in the first (and all following) in-text Evra, J. et al. (2006). Problems in the Middle East. Boston: Little Brown.
citations.

Pamphlet or Brochure – Treat a pamphlet as a book

BOOK WITH NO IDENTIFIED AUTHOR – When the work you are referencing has no identified author, cite in text the first few
words of the reference list entry (usually the title) and the year. Use italics for book titles.
12
 PRINT SOURCES (continued)
Books

Sample Parenthetical In-Text Citation Corresponding Entry in Reference List

SINGLE AND MULTIVOLUME SINGLE AND MULTIVOLUME REFERENCE BOOKS (Generic Format)
REFERENCE BOOKS Author Last Name, First Initial. Middle Initial. (Year Published). Article title. In First

Follow examples above used for books. Initial., Middle Initial., Last Name (Ed.), Book title (Vol. Volume Number, pp.

page numbers). Publication City, State: Publisher.

Single and Multivolume Reference Books (Example)

Johnson, S. B. (2009). The United States and North Korea. In C. F. Brown (Ed.)

Encyclopedia of Foreign Policy (Vol. 4, pp. 41-44). New York: Random House.

Magazines, Journals and Newspapers – Hard Copy

MAGAZINE OR JOURNAL ARTICLE MAGAZINE OR JOURNAL ARTICLE (Generic Format)

Author Last Name, First Initial. Middle Initial. ([Date Published Year, Month Day).
Follow examples above used for books.
Article title. Magazine or Journal Title, Volume Number, (Issue Number), p./pp.
Capitalize only the first word of an
ARTICLE title and of the subtitle if any, Page Number Starts-Ends.
and any proper nouns. Magazine or Journal Article (Example)
Reddy, V. (2002, January 4). Sharing humor and laughter in politics. Journal of Political
Do not italicize or put quotes around an
article title. Science, 149 (1), pp. 14-23.

Give the PERIODICAL title in full, in If no volume number or issue number is listed, omit. Follow book examples for more
upper and lower case letters in italics. than one author, and then continue with magazine or journal format.

NEWSPAPER ARTICLE NEWSPAPER ARTICLE (Generic Format)

Author Last Name, First Initial. Middle Initial. (Date Published Year, Month Day).
Follow examples above used for books.
Article Title. Newspaper Name. p. /pp. Page Number Starts[Ends.

Newspaper Article (Example)

Stengle, J. S. (2005, February 5). Exercise won’t stall aging, study says. The Boston

Globe. P. A3.

Works by the same author with the same publication date.

If you are referencing different works by the same author that have the same publication year, alphabetize the citations by the article
titles. Assign each title a suffix, a, b, c and so forth. The suffixes are assigned in the reference list.

Example
Carlsberg, A. R. (1999a).
Carlsberg, A. R. (1999b).
Carlsberg, A. R. (1999c).

13
 DVDs, VIDEOCASSETTES, INTERVIEWS AND LECTURES
DVD or Videocassette

Sample Parenthetical In-Text Citation Corresponding Entry in Reference List

DVD/VIDEOCASSETTE DVD/VIDEOCASSETTE (Generic Format)

Director Last Name, First Initial. Middle Initial. (Director). (Year Released). Title.
Example
Guber (2000) uses his film to… [Motion Picture]. Country of Origin: Production Company.
OR
Thirteen Days in October (Guber, 2000) DVD/Videocassette (Example)
shows how… Guber, P. S. (Director). (2000). Thirteen days in October. [Motion Picture]. United

States: Pixar Films.

Interviews and Lectures

INTERVIEW INTERVIEW
(Because they do not provide recoverable data, personal communications are not
Example included in the reference list. Cite in text only.)
Rowland (Personal Communication May 4,
2003) stated in our conversation…
OR
During the conversation I learned about the
trouble (Rowland Personal Communication,
May 4, 2003).

LECTURE LECTURE (Generic Format)

Author Last Name, First Initial., Middle Initial. (Date of Lecture Year, Month Day). Title
Example
John Murdoch (2008) stated in his lecture… of Lecture. Title of Conference or Class. Location of lecture.
OR
Terrorism is a global problem (Murdoch, Lecture (Example)
2008). Murdoch, J. D. (2008, September 9). The United States fights terrorism. Current Issues

Class. Glastonbury High School, Glastonbury, Connecticut.

14
 ONLINE SOURCES – LIBRARY PAID DATABASES
PLEASE NOTE
APA Style requires the homepage URL of the paid/private database for articles.
No retrieval date is necessary.

Sample Parenthetical In-Text Citation Corresponding Entry in Reference List

CQ RESEARCHER CQ RESEARCHER (Generic Format)

Author Last Name, First Initial. Middle Initial. (Date Published Year, Month Day).
Example
Katel (2009) lists several countries where Article Title. Source Name, Volume Number(Issue Number),
terrorism…
OR Page Number Starts-Ends. Retrieved from Database Name Database Homepage
Terrorism is blossoming in Pakistan and
Afghanistan (Katel, 2009). URL

PLEASE NOTE CQ Researcher (Example)

Katel, P. (2009, February 13). Homeland security. CQ Researcher 19 (2), 129-152.
If any component of the generic format is
missing in YOUR source, omit it and move Retrieved from CQ Researcher Online http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher
on to the next component.

EBSCO (Example) EBSCO (Generic Format)

Follow example for CQ Researcher above. Author Last Name, First Initial. Middle Initial. (Date Published Year, Month Day).

Article Title. Source Name, Volume Number(Issue Number),

Page Number Starts-Ends. Retrieved from Database Name in Umbrella Service

Name Database Homepage URL

EBSCO includes MASUltra School Edition, PLEASE NOTE – EBSCO is an “umbrella” service. When citing a document from a
Newspaper Source, Professional service with many databases such as EBSCO, you must provide the database within the
Development Collection, ERIC and Green service as well as the service (umbrella) itself.
File.
Ebsco (Example)
Sachs, J. (2009, July). Still needed: A Climate plan. Scientific American, 301(1), 32.

Retrieved from MAS Ultra - School Edition in EBSCO

http://search.epnet.com

15
 ONLINE SOURCES – LIBRARY PAID DATABASES (continued)
PLEASE NOTE
APA Style requires the homepage URL of the paid/private database for articles.
No retrieval date is necessary.

iCONN – Database Umbrella Service from State of Connecticut

Sample Parenthetical In-Text Citation Corresponding Entry in Reference List

ICONN MAGAZINE OR JOURNAL ICONN MAGAZINE OR JOURNAL ARTICLE (Generic Format)

ARTICLE Author Last Name, First Initial. Middle Initial. (Date Published Year, Month Day).

Example Article Title. Source Name, Volume Number(Issue Number),

Aldy, Eduardo and Parry (2008) offer an
idea for slowing climate change… Page Number Starts-Ends. Retrieved from Database Name in Umbrella Service
OR
Taxing energy use might help slow climate Name Database Homepage URL
change (Aldy, Eduardo and Parry, 2008).
Iconn Magazine or Journal Article (Example)
Aldy, J. E., Eduardo, L. & Parry, I. (2008, September). A Tax-based approach to

slowing global climate change. National Tax Journal, 61 (3), 493-500.

Retrieved from Academic OneFile in iCONN http://www.iconn.org

ICONN NEWSPAPER ARTICLE ICONN NEWSPAPER ARTICLE (Generic Format)

Author Last Name, First Initial. Middle Initial. (Date Published Year, Month Day).
Follow example for iCONN magazine or
journal article above. Article Title. Source Name, p. Page Number. Retrieved, from Database Name in

Umbrella Service Name Database Homepage URL

iCONN Newspaper Article (Example)

Pascopella, A. (2007, May 5). Change coming to NCLB. The New York Times, p. A14.

Retrieved from Newspapers in iCONN http://www.iconn.org

ICONN HEALTH AND WELLNESS ICONN HEALTH AND WELLNESS RESOURCE CENTER (Generic Format)
RESOURCE CENTER Author Last Name, First Initial. Middle Initial. (Date Published Year, Month Day).

In the example provided to the right, you Article Title. Source Name, Volume Number(Issue Number),
will notice there is no author listed. Begin
with the first word of the title in the Page Number Starts-Ends. Retrieved from Database Name in Umbrella Service
parenthetical in-text citation and continue
with iCONN formats shown above. Name Database Homepage URL

The source also does not provide a volume iCONN Health and Wellness Resource Center (Example)
or issue number so they are omitted from Swine flu: Vaccine almost ready, but who will get vaccinated first? (2009, June 15).
the reference list.
European Report, 12567. Retrieved from Health and Wellness

Resource Center in iCONN http://www.iconn.org

16
 ONLINE SOURCES – THE FREE WEB
Sample Parenthetical In-Text Citation Corresponding Entry in Reference List

PLEASE NOTE
1. For Free web sources include the entire URL for the page within the site that you are using.
2. APA Style does NOT place a period after the URL Address.
3. If any component of the generic format is missing in YOUR source, omit it and move on to the next component.

ONLINE MAGAZINE/JOURNAL ONLINE MAGAZINE/JOURNAL ARTICLE (Generic Format)

ARTICLE Author Last Name, First Initial. Middle Initial. (Date Published Year, Month Day).

Example Article Title. Magazine or Journal Title. Retrieved from URL Address
Chamberlain (2008) provides examples of
misuse of research. Online Magazine/Journal Article (Example)
OR Chamberlin,J. (2008, May). Science vs. ideology: Psychologists fight back about the
Misuse of research occurs in many ways
(Chamberlain, 2008). misuse of research. Monitor on Psychology, 39(5). Retrieved from

http://www.aap.org/monitor/

ONLINE NEWSPAPER ARTICLE ONLINE NEWSPAPER ARTICLE (Generic Format)

Author Last Name, First Initial. Middle Initial. (Date Published Year, Month Day).
Example
Stanley (2009) offers many ways to avoid Document Title Source Title. Retrieved website URL Address
identity theft.
OR Online Newspaper Article (Example)
Shredding your financial papers is one good Stanley, S. U. (2009, January 4). Defend: Recover from identity theft. Washington Post.
way to avoid identity theft (Stanley, 2009).
Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com

WEB DOCUMENT WEB DOCUMENT (Generic Format)

(This includes photos, images, illustrations, etc.)
Example Author Last Name, First Initial. Middle Initial. (Date Published Year, Month Day).
Stanley (2009) offers many ways to avoid
identity theft. Document Title. Retrieved from website URL Address
OR
Shredding your financial papers is one good Web Document (Example)
way to avoid identity theft (Stanley, 2009). Stanley, S. U. (2009, January 4). Defend: Recover from identity theft. Retrieved from

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/consumers/defend.html

Provide the entire URL for a photo or image from the original website it appeared in. Do
not use the URL from Google Images.

17
 ONLINE SOURCES – THE FREE WEB (continued)
Sample Parenthetical In-Text Citation Corresponding Entry in Reference List

PLEASE NOTE
1. For Free web sources include the entire URL for the page within the site that you are using.
2. APA Style does NOT place a period after the URL Address.
3. If any component of the generic format is missing in YOUR source, omit it and move on to the next component.

ARTICLE ON A TITLED WEBSITE ARTICLE ON A TITLED WEBSITE (Generic Format)

Author Last Name, First Initial. Middle Initial. (Date Published Year, Month Day).
Example
Baker (2010) sheds light on Obama’s plans. Document Title Website Title. Retrieved website URL Address
OR
Obama’s war on terrorism is taking some Article on a Titled Website (Example)
new turns (Baker, 2010). Baker, P. (2010, January 4). NYT Magazine: Inside Obama’s War on Terrorism. Council

on Foreign Relations. Retrieved from http://www.cfg.org/publication/21104/

nyt_magazine.html

E-MAIL E-MAIL
Example Because they do not provide recoverable data, personal communications are not included
Rowland (May 4, 2003) stated in email… in the reference list. Cite in text only.
OR
From the second e-mail I learned about the
trouble (Rowland, May 4, 2003).

POSTING TO A BLOG OR POSTING TO A BLOG OR DISCUSSION LIST (GenericFormat)

DISCUSSION LIST Author Last Name,First Initial. Middle Initial. (Date Posted Year, Month

Follow example for web document above. Day). String Title or Message Title. Message posted to URL Address

Posting to a Blog or Discussion List (Example)

Fielding, T. (2004, November 12). A healthy world. Message posted to

http://boards.ign.com/message.asp?topic=933135

DISSERTATION OR DISSERTATION DISSERTATION OR DISSERTATION ABSTRACT (Generic Format)

ABSTRACT Author Last Name, First Initial. Middle Initial. (Year Published). Dissertation Title

Example (Doctoral Dissertation, Institution, Date Accepted Month Day, Year). Retrieved
In his dissertation King (1980) implies…
OR from Name of Database or Website URL Address
Functional unity theory is a new way to
look at relationships (King, 1980). (for websites).

Dissertation or Dissertation Abstract (Example)

King, A.F. (1980). An exploratory study into the ‘functional unity’ theory. (Doctoral

dissertation, University of California at Berkeley, 1980). Retrieved

from UC Berkeley Psychology http://arch.ced.berkeley.edu/ced/

people/arch_query.php?id=21&dept

18
 ONLINE SOURCES – THE FREE WEB (continued)
Sample Parenthetical In-Text Citation Corresponding Entry in Reference List

PLEASE NOTE
4. For Free web sources include the entire URL for the page within the site that you are using.
5. APA Style does NOT place a period after the URL Address.
6. If any component of the generic format is missing in YOUR source, omit it and move on to the next component.

ONLINE ONLY JOURNAL ONLINE ONLY JOURNAL (Generic Format)

Author Last Name, First Initial., Middle Initial. (Publication Date Year, Month Day).
Follow examples above for magazine Article Title. Online Journal Title, Volume number, Article number. Retrieved
articles from a database. Month Day, Year from Article URL.

ONLINE ONLY JOURNAL (Example)

Serrano, M.A., Flammini, A., & Menczer, F. (2009, April 29). Would you eat this food?
PLoS ONE, 4, Article e5372. Retrieved July 21, 2009 from
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0005372

19
Appendix B
Avoiding Plagiarism

Brought to you by the Purdue University Online Writing Lab at http://owl.english.purdue.edu

The heart of avoiding plagiarism is to make sure you give credit where it is due. This may be credit
for something somebody said, wrote, emailed, drew, or implied.

Choosing When to Give Credit

Need to Document No Need to Document

• When you are using or referring to • When you are writing your own
somebody else’s words or ideas from a experiences, your own observations, your
magazine, book, newspaper, song, TV own insights, your own thoughts, your
program, movie, Web page, computer own conclusions about a subject
program, letter, advertisement, or any • When you are using "common
other medium knowledge" — folklore, common sense
• When you use information gained through observations, shared information within
interviewing another person your field of study or cultural group
• When you copy the exact words or a • When you are compiling generally
"unique phrase" from somewhere accepted facts
• When you reprint any diagrams, • When you are writing up your own
illustrations, charts, and pictures experimental results
• When you use ideas that others have given
you in conversations or over email

20
Making Sure You Are Safe

Action during the writing process Appearance on the finished product

When researching, • Mark everything that is Proofread and check with your
note-taking, and someone else’s words with a notes (or photocopies of sources)
interviewing big Q (for quote) or with big to make sure that anything taken
quotation marks from your notes is acknowledged
• Indicate in your notes which in some combination of the ways
ideas are taken from sources listed below:
(S) and which are your own
insights (ME) In-text citation
• Record all of the relevant Footnotes
documentation information Bibliography
in your notes Quotation marks
Indirect quotations

When paraphrasing • First, write your paraphrase • Begin your summary with a statement
and summarizing and summary without giving credit to the source: According to
looking at the original text, Jonathan Kozol, ...
so you rely only on your • Put any unique words or phrases that you
memory. cannot change, or do not want to change, in
• Next, check your version quotation marks: ... "savage inequalities"
with the original for content, exist throughout our educational system
accuracy, and mistakenly (Kozol).
borrowed phrases

When quoting directly Keep the person’s name near • Mention the person’s name either at the
the quote in your notes, and in your beginning of the quote, in the middle, or at
paper the end
Select those direct quotes • Put quotation marks around the text that
that make the most impact in your you are quoting
paper -- too many direct quotes may • Indicate added phrases in brackets ([ ]) and
lessen your credibility and interfere omitted text with ellipses (. . .)
with your style

When quoting • Keep the person’s name near Mention the person’s name either at the
indirectly the text in your notes, and in beginning of the information, or in the middle, or at
your paper that end
• Rewrite the key ideas using Double check to make sure that your words
different words and sentence and sentence structures are different than the
structures than the original original text
text

This page is located at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/print/research/r_quotprsum.html

Copyright ©1995-2004 by OWL at Purdue University and Purdue University. All rights reserved.
Use of this site, including printing and distributing our handouts, constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of
fair use, available at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/lab/fairuse.html.

To contact OWL, please visit our contact information page at

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/lab/contact.html to find the right person to call or email.

21
What is Common Knowledge?

• You don’t have to cite everything. Facts or ideas referred to as “common knowledge” do not
have to be cited.
• Common knowledge includes facts that are found in many sources, facts that you assume
many people know. A rule of thumb is that if you find a fact in three or more sources, it may
be considered common knowledge.
• An example of common knowledge is that John Adams married Abigail Smith.
• Remember, you must document little-know facts and any ideas that interpret facts, even if
they are paraphrased! For instance, even if you don’t use McCullough’s words, you should
absolutely document McCullough’s belief that this marriage may have been the most critical
decision of Adam’s life.

Material on Common Knowledge from Springfield Township, PA High School Library Web Page:
http://mciu.org/~spjvweb/, Joyce Valenza, Library Media Specialist.

Also, keep in mind that at Glastonbury High School, plagiarism is

punishable, on the first offense, by a zero on the assignment, a
phone call to parents, and a disciplinary referral.

22
Appendix C – APA Style Sample Paper for Scientific Research Paper

Growth and Mineralization Characteristics 1

Short title and
page number.

Growth and Mineralization Characteristics of

Toluene and Diesel-Degrading Bacteria

From Williams Refinery Groundwater

Full title, writer’s

name, name of
course, instructor’s
name, and date (all
centered)

Laura Dau

Advanced Research Mentorship

Ms. Pintavalle

June 8, 2009

23
 Growth and Mineralization Characteristics 2

Abstract begins on
Abstract
new page with section
title of Abstract. Through bioremediation, naturally occurring bacteria can help restore the water
quality of aquifers contaminated by leaking petroleum tanks. This project’s
purpose was to determine the optimal growth temperature and mineralization
rate (rate at which the bacteria turn hydrocarbon into water and CO 2 ) for
hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria from 4.5 ºC contaminated groundwater under
Williams Refinery in North Pole, Alaska. Last year, the optimal growth
temperatures were found to be between 11 and 15 ºC for the toluene-degrading
bacteria and 11 ºC for the diesel-degraders. The aerobic mineralization rate was
0.046 m g of 14C-hexadecane per day per mL, with a density of 5.3 x 10 6 cells
per mL. This year, the project’s purpose was to determine whether the diesel-
degrading bacteria could grow anaerobically and if their mineralization rate
Abstract is typed in a was faster aerobically or anaerobically. A nitrate reduction test was performed
single block
paragraph with no to test the hypothesis that the bacteria could grow anaerobically, using nitrate as
indentations. a terminal electron acceptor. The anaerobic mineralization rate of 14C-
hexadecane was calculated using radiorespirometry. This mineralization rate
was then compared to the aerobic mineralization rate determined last year. The
diesel-degrading bacteria were able to grow anaerobically using nitrate and the
anaerobic mineralization rate was 0.018 m g of 14C-hexadecane per day per mL,
with a density of 5.3 x 10 6 cells per mL. The anaerobic mineralization rate was
significantly less than the aerobic mineralization rate. The results from this
project could be useful in the bioremediation of contaminated sites with similar
environmental characteristics.

Abstract is written in
past tense.

24
 Growth and Mineralization Characteristics 3

Text begins on a
new page.
Introduction

Since storage tanks containing petroleum products can often leak,

contaminants frequently make their way into underground water supplies, or

The first time a source aquifers (Michigan State University, 2000). When hydrocarbons, like diesel and
with two through 5
authors is used, each
name is listed joined toluene, have polluted soil or groundwater, in-situ bioremediation is often used to
with an ampersand.
Subsequent citations
list the first author treat the contamination (Connor, Landon, Mellor & O’Donovan, 1998). In
followed by “et al.”

bioremediation, microorganisms, either added or naturally occurring, are utilized

via the control of environmental factors in order to reduce pollution (Connor et

al., 1998). During bioremediation, microorganisms, usually bacteria, feed on the

contamination, obtaining nutrition for growth, while metabolizing the waste

Briefly provide
purpose of products into less harmful products, such as water and carbon dioxide (Connor,
experiments and
appropriate
background. et al., 1998).

Various types of bacteria can be involved in this process, but certain

characteristics are sought after in specific environments. Bacteria that degrade

petroleum products are heterotrophic, meaning they use organic compounds as

their carbon source (U.S. Environmental, 2002). Bacteria can also be either

aerobic, using oxygen as their terminal electron acceptor, or anaerobic, using a

molecule other than oxygen as their terminal electron acceptor. While aerobic

bacteria are preferred because they degrade pollutants 10 to 100 times faster than

anaerobic bacteria, it is important to know whether the bacteria survive in

anaerobic conditions where no oxygen is present (Connor, et al., 1998).

Facultative anaerobes are bacteria that have enzyme systems that

25
 Growth and Mineralization Characteristics 4

enable them to use free oxygen (O 2) or some alternative oxygen source, like

nitrate (NO 3). However, if oxygen is present, they utilize it in preference to the

alternative (Brown, Resnick, Rebstack, Luong & Lindstrom, 2002). Many

facultative bacteria use nitrate as a terminal electron acceptor, reducing nitrate to

Make sure the reader
knows enough to nitrite (NO 2) as they respire. These bacteria are called nitrate-reducers. Some
appreciate the
relevance of your
work. nitrate-reducers are also able to convert nitrate to nitrite, and then nitrite to

nitrogenous gas.

When considering which type of bacteria to use in bioremediation, it is also

important to take into account the type of environment in which the contaminant

is located. Temperature is an important aspect because bacteria have specific

temperature ranges at which they grow best (Connor et al., 1998). The type of

bacteria chosen for a bioremediation site should have all of the characteristics

necessary for it to degrade contaminants in the site’s environment and also be

able to metabolize the pollutant quickly (Connor et al., 1998). Ideally, the

bacteria used would already be present at the contaminated site.

Another important characteristic of potential bioremediation bacteria is

their degradation (mineralization) rate of the carbon-based contaminant under in-

situ conditions. For example, bacteria with a greater degradation rate of diesel

would be preferred over similar bacteria with a lower degradation rate because

they would be able to degrade more diesel in a shorter period of time.

Radiorespirometry can be used as an indirect indicator of how much carbon the

bacteria have mineralized over a certain period of time (Richmond, Lindstrom &

26
 Growth and Mineralization Characteristics 5

Use lower case letters

to distinguish two Braddock, 2001a.)….
publications in the
same year.
…. Bioremediation is frequently used to degrade petroleum

hydrocarbons. One such contaminant is toluene. Toluene is one of the most toxic

components of gasoline and often spills into aquifers when gasoline storage tanks

leak. Bacteria that can degrade toluene are currently being studied because of

their potential use in bioremediation (Michigan State University 2000). Similarly,

bacteria capable of degrading diesel, another petroleum hydrocarbon, are being

researched for future use in the clean up of diesel-contaminated sites

(Environmental, 1999). The characteristics of many hydrocarbon-degrading

Signal phrase
introduces authors
followed by bacteria are being examined by scientists for their possible use in bioremediation
publication date in
parentheses.
(Connor et al., 1998). For example, Deeb and Alvarez-Cohen (1998), from the

University of California at Berkeley, studied the temperature effects on a

consortium of toluene-degrading bacteria at Lawrence Livermore National

Laboratory, California. They found that their consortium grew best at 35 ºC.

Richmond et al. (2001b) studied the temperature effects on bacteria from a

benzene-contaminated aquifer in Six Mile Village, Alaska. Using glutamate as a

carbon source, they found that the overall microbial metabolic rates were higher

at 25 ºC than at 10 ºC. There is a general assumption that organisms in

contaminated soils and groundwater tend to grow best at moderate to warm

temperatures (around 25 ºC). Once scientists know the site-specific

characteristics of a bacterium, that information can be used to optimize the

degradation of pollutants the bacterium metabolizes.

27
 Growth and Mineralization Characteristics 6

The objectives of my project were to: 1) obtain two aerobic enrichment

cultures, one with diesel-degrading bacteria and one with toluene-degrading

bacteria; 2) determine the optimal growth temperature for each consortium; 3)

Always state your
objectives and your determine the optical density and correlate this with the most probable number of
hypothesis in the
introduction
diesel-degrading bacteria during log phase growth…..

….. This year, I completed the rest of my objectives, 5 and 6. Due to time

constraints, these objectives were only performed on the diesel-degrading

bacteria, not the toluene-degrading bacteria. The hypothesis was that the diesel-

degrading bacteria would be able to grow anaerobically using nitrate as a

terminal electron acceptor…..

Text sections follow
each other without a
break. When you
type a new heading do Methods
not start a new page.

Nitrate reduction by diesel-degrading bacteria

Present methods
under headings In order to determine whether the diesel-degrading bacteria could grow

anaerobically, a nitrate-reducing culture was prepared using an aerobic diesel-

degrading consortium from Williams Refinery in North Pole, Alaska. One mL of

the aerobic consortium was added to a sterile container with 300 mL of filtered

Passive voice is
Bushnell-Haas (BH) broth. After ten drops of diesel were added to the culture,
standard for scientific
papers. the container was sparged with N 2 for 15 minutes and sealed using paraffin

film…..

28
 Growth and Mineralization Characteristics 7

….. The gas stream was bubbled through the scintillation cocktail. Four blanks

were initially run to measure the background levels of 14C that may have been in
Explanatory
illustrations are
referred to within the the stripping apparatus (Figure 6). This test was also done for three sample vials
text and inserted as
close as possible to
the relevant text. filled with 100 m g of 14C-hexadecane with an initial decay per minute (DPM)

of 71,969.

Figure 6. Stripping apparatus used for radiorespirometry (adapted from Dr. Joan Braddock’s lab procedures).

The radioactivity of the 14CO 2 in the scintillation vials was measured using a

Beckman LS6000SE scintillation counter. The amount of hexadecane

mineralized in the sample vials was calculated…..

Results

Analyze your data,

then present them in ….. The optical density for the anaerobic diesel-degrading sample used to
the form of figures,
tables and/or
descriptions. determine a hexadecane degradation rate was 0.110. From this OD measurement,

the density of cells was estimated at 5.3 x 10 6 cells per mL. Of the four samples

tested, two were discarded because of their extreme values. The average decay

29
 Growth and Mineralization Characteristics 8

per minute (DPM) of 14CO 2 for the samples was 1,357 ± 247 and the average

mineralization rate was 0.018 ± 0.003 m g of 14C-hexadecane per day per mL.

The average mineralization rate for the anaerobic bacteria was significantly

less (P= 0.006) than the average aerobic mineralization rate because the P-value

was less than 0.05 and the 95% Confidence Intervals did not overlap, as shown in

Figure 8.

Converted data
appears in graphs and
tables. Raw data
should appear in an
appendix at the back
of the paper.

Figure 8. Mean mineralization rates of 14C-hexadecane for anaerobic and aerobic diesel-degrading bacteria (N=4). The
error bars represent the 95% Confidence Intervals.

Discussion

Since the nitrate reduction test was positive, the diesel-degrading bacteria

can survive anaerobically in aquifers that have nitrate present. This supports my
Interpret you data in
the discussion. State hypothesis that the diesel-degrading bacteria would be able to grow anaerobically
if the hypothesis is
supported or rejected.
using nitrate as a terminal electron acceptor. If these bacteria were to be used in

bioremediation, it would be possible for them to degrade diesel without needing

to add O 2 to their environment. Since it is more cost effective to add nitrate to a

contaminated aquifer than O 2, and nitrate is more soluble in water than oxygen,

nitrate-reducing bacteria have an economical advantage over aerobic bacteria

(Htun 2001). Since the diesel-degrading bacteria in this experiment are

30
 Growth and Mineralization Characteristics 9

facultative anaerobes, meaning they can grow aerobically and anaerobically,

scientists could choose between the two bioremediation methods, finding a

balance between cost effectiveness and the time needed to degrade the
Discuss the
experiment’s design contaminants.
and controls.

Since the mineralization rate of hexadecane for the aerobic bacteria was

significantly greater than the anaerobic mineralization rate, the aerobic bacteria

would be able to clean up a contaminated site faster than the anaerobic bacteria.

Therefore, when choosing a bioremediation method, scientists would need to

consider the fact that anaerobic methods would be cheaper but aerobic methods

would be quicker.
Discuss areas for
future study. Future studies could focus on the effects of additional nutrients on the

mineralization rate of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria from Williams Refinery. A

comparison could also be done between anaerobic and aerobic toluene-degrading

bacteria. In addition, steps could be taken to isolate and identify bacteria present
Make what
conclusions you can. in the diesel-degrading consortium.

Before bioremediation can be used to clean up a contaminated site, one

must understand the characteristics of the potential bioremediating bacteria. It is

important that the chosen bacteria have characteristics suitable for the

contaminated environment. Since these diesel-degrading bacteria have evolved to

grow optimally at cold temperatures, they may be useful in the bioremediation of

hydrocarbon-contaminated groundwater with similar environmental

31
 Growth and Mineralization Characteristics 10

characteristics. Given that many contaminated sites are underground, where no

oxygen gas is present, the nitrate-reducing, diesel-degrading bacteria could be

used to remediate these sites. While the anaerobic bioremediation method is

cheaper than the aerobic method, the aerobic method has the advantage of being

able to clean up the site faster. If these bacteria were used in bioremediation,

scientists would need to determine whether money or time is more important.

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank my mentor, Dr. Sharon Richmond, for her advice,
This section is
optional but makes a
nice addition, assistance with lab work, and guidance. Many thanks to: Dr. Joan Braddock for
especially if you give
the paper to those
who helped you along allowing me to work in her University of Alaska Fairbanks lab and use her
the way!

equipment; Mr. Jon Lindstrom for providing the groundwater sample I used in

this project; Ms. Beale for her guidance, proofreading, and support; Mr. Randy

Brown for his help with statistical analysis; and Mr. David Dau for his

proofreading and assistance with lab work.

32
 Growth and Mineralization Characteristics 11

Start references on References

new page. Title
“References” is
centered. Braddock, Joan. 1996. UAF laboratory manual. Fairbanks: University of

Alaska, Fairbanks.

Brown, E.J., Resnick, S.M., Rebstock, C., Luong, H.V., & Lindstrom, J.E.
Double space
throughout.
(1991). UAF radiorespirometry protocol for assessing hydrocarbon

mineralization potential in environmental samples. Biodegradation, 2, 121-

127. Retrieved from Academic OneFile in iCONN http://www.iconn.org

Connor, D., Landin, P., Mellor, E., & O’Donovan, C. (1998, June).

Bioremediation Primer. Retrieved from http://www.ce.vt.

edu/program_gwprimer/biorem/

Deeb, R., & Alvarez-Cohen, L. (1998). Temperature effects and substrate

interactions during the aerobic biotransformation of BTEX mixtures by

toluene-enriched consortia and rhodococcus rhodochrous. Retrieved from

http://www.ce.berkeley.edu/~alvcohen/pdf/

BiotechBioengPaper.pdf

Do not use a period at Environmental BioTechnologies, Inc. (1999). Bioremediation of kerosene

the end of a URL.

and diesel fuel in soil. Retrieved from

http://www.e-b-t.com/kerosene.htm

Htun, H. (2001). Bioremediation. Retrieved from

http://bioweb.usc.edu/courses/2003-spring/ documents/bisc419-h.htun.ppt

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 Growth and Mineralization Characteristics 12

Michigan State University. (2000). Anaerobic toluene degrader. Retrieved

from http://commtechlab. msu.edu/sites/dlc-me/zoo/zqq0386.html

Richmond, S.A., Lindstrom, J.E., and Braddock, J.F. (2001a, April 7). Effects of

chitin on microbial emulsification, mineralization potential, and toxicity of

Bunker C Fuel Oil. PLoS ONE, 42, Article e5372. Retrieved from
Distinguish between
two articles by the
same author in the http://wwwlplosone.org/article/info&3Adoi%Fjournal.pone.00537
same year by using
lower case letters
after the year. Richmond, S.A., Lindstrom, J.E., and Braddock, J.F. (2001b, July 27).

Assessment of natural attenuation of chlorinated solvents and BTEX in

subarctic ground water. Environmental Science and Technology, 35, 4038-

4045. Retrieved from JSTOR http://www.jstor.org/logon

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (2002, August). In-Situ groundwater

bioremediation. Retrieved from http://www.epa.gov/

swerust1/cat/insitbio.htm

Please note: Sections of this paper have been omitted to conserve

space. When you see ….. it means text is missing either before or
after included text.

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